In wireless communication systems, it can be difficult to obtain the operating location information from a wireless local area network (WLAN) in a reliable manner for the purpose of adjusting various WLAN parameters. As used herein “operating location information” refers to information concerning the geographical region where a wireless device or terminal is located at a given moment.
Current Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations state that WLAN systems can only operate among channels 1-11 within the United States. In accordance with FCC regulations, the end user cannot modify the regulatory domain as defined in the IEEE 802.11m standard. The regulatory domain defines parameters, such as the list of channels, maximum power level, etc., that relate to the operation of the WLAN device. Therefore, this regulation makes it difficult to allow the use of tri-band Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)-WLAN devices, as either FCC approvals would not be obtainable for the device, or the WLAN service providers would need to limit the number of channels available in Europe.
Previously, vendors have implemented two different types of WLAN multimode devices, with one type designed for the European Union (EU) and the other type designed for the United States (US). Under this arrangement, however, devices brought from the United States to Europe would not be able to operate within WLAN 2.4 GHz channels 12-13. There is therefore a need for using licensed radio technology to determine the operating parameters of an unlicensed radio technology in a mobile terminal.